In Wide Awake McManus tells the story of a back injury he received, and part of the therapy was to work on his stomach. He thought it very odd at first; but he soon understood that core training (now a fad) is key to a healthy back. POW’s learned to do it so they’d remain strong enough for a potential escape, but not look so strong in the arms that they’d pose a threat to captors. McManus pushes us – saying we all need to work on our “core” – core beliefs, practices and convictions.
“I think a lot of us choose the opposite path,” he chides. “We do the tanning booth and the Botox and the collagen so we can look healthy on the outside, but we are really weak at the center.” I confess—I am weaker at the center than I’d care to admit. And so is my church at times. But we are doing some really focused core training to change that right now. We’ll see how this plays out in the months ahead.
For now, we at Willow are revisiting, re-claiming, and re-embracing some core teachings and practices with respect to communal life. We want serious relational investments – not just surface connections – to shape us and guide us. We are striving to be biblical, inclusive, compassionate, others-focused, and to leverage proximity. Our hope is to awaken the core, and then to strengthen it. And, with God’s leading and help, we believe we will.
